I can only imagine the rose market in the UK is very different because there are no bargains to be had in these supermarket outlets. That is not to say it is not possible to buy cheap plants but really, they are complete rubbish. Wouldn't have them for free. Ratty dessicated petunias. Other outlets are the garden centres, a kind of horticultural supermarket we imported from the US back in the late 60's. The prices in these places are higher than from nurseries because they only offer potted roses, usually only in bloom season and they are selling to the impulse buyers. Course, they come in a shiny pink pot with a big old label....and they all sell the same 50 or so hybrid teas and floribundas, all the bloody austins, of course, at a really high price and a tiny handful of 'classics'. Partly, the habit of buying bare root roses directly from specialist nurseries is still very strong amongst rose lovers, but also, the cost, as well as the quality, remains competitive - after all, there are not a million middlemen and no ludicrously huge premises. And before the usual response that it gives someone a job, then you really need to take a look at how this operates in the UK - basically, we pay a sort of supplement to workers (tax credits) which enables businesses to employ people for less than a living wage (the really crappy aspect of a welfare state) - well if you thing this system is a fair and reasonable one, then try working at Asda or Walmart yourself for a few years before bleating how great it is that they are actually getting rich from sheer exploitation rather than offering a fair wage for a fair days work. Even more to the point (unless you are poltically engaged), there are no old roses to be bought from major shopping outlets (although you might find the odd Fantin Latour or Compte de Chambord and never see a species rose) so unless you want to lose any semblance of choice, it is no use whining when those places which do offer variety have gone and you are left with the dictates of the market to the detriment of all else. But hey, principles are principles, not some cheap clothing you can toss away when they are worn out.

To moccasinlanding: I assure you it is Blue Mammoth I have tried in the past. To Ken: I have yet to find anything left at the door; although I had to adapt quickly back in 2011 when my mother brought to me BOTH T-Rex and Blue Mammoth. And yes I smiled and did say thank you very nicely. Having both WAS NOT my plan at that moment. She is threatening to "share" some of her Mouse Ears next summer (not sure what variety she is talking about as of yet. Honesty I do get nearly 100% sun for about 2 to 3 hours from about noon in my garden (working on eliminating that next year). 'Popcorn' simply dropped its green in August; it did have an intense gold yellow as it faded. I thought that moment was exciting. 'Vulcan' took off, and exploded into growth making every other hosta look bad last year. 'Gorgon' was a close second in that department. 'Frosted Mouse Ears' and 'Holy Mouse Ears' each seem to have settled in with polite growth. 'Xanadu Empress Wu' was planted in August, and that even tried to take off by growing leaves that were twice the size of what it came with. In short I am expecting a 86% (18 out of 21 plants) survival rate next spring with only three plants not coming up (as mentioned at my blog). Those being ... Blue Mammoth, Itsy Bity Spider, and Popcorn. Naturally they have the option of surprising me, and appearing on cue. Everything else looked in good shape when I cut everything back Mid-October for their long winter nap! Finally Ken, to be honest, I do have a few theories as to why my 2013 survival rate was 56% (from 18 hosta to 10 hosta). I can't discuss those until I see what happens next spring (2014; trying to be objective here folks). Hint keep watching my blog for a lengthy narrative on that topic there. Peter Kelley St. Paul, MN USA

kathyg, I hope your DH is well and that the cancer is one of the less dangerous ones! I send thoughts of healing his way. I spent an hour or so at the old house today with the rent-to-owner. I stopped by to drop off the packet of owner's manuals for the house. She had just finished paying the movers and I showed her the ins and outs of various things about the house. She had already been weeding the perennials and we looked at the gardens so I could show her what was what. We were both excited and talking a mile a minute. She has beautiful furniture and my attempt to paint neutral colors in the living/dining area resulted in trim that perfectly toned with the color of her taupe leather furniture. The ceiling fan we replaced a few years ago was the same color, too. It looked perfectly planned. The neighbors across the street greeted her and her friend with margaritas on Friday night when she finished carrying in a car full of her things. She still loves the place (called it "charming"!) and her friend did too. She feels lucky to have gotten it for a price she can afford, and we have nothing but relief that we get $1000/mo toward the carrying costs!

This was after the contract was signed. but they refused so we had to pay for it ( by adding to the purchase price). That's when we found out it needed a new leech bed, Which apparently the seller is okay with paying for. I would be very leery of what else wasn't disclosed. You did have a home inspector? And you do have a good RE lawyer? I would also like to add, this was a "flip" house. They purchased it last year " sheriffs deed" and have done quite a bit of work to it. So far, It has passed everything else and we are supposed to close in two days. I hope the inspector looked very closely at the house because this is not sounding good. They signed a non-disclosure statement, which appears to be "typical" with flip homes. They knew nothing of the septic as they told us, BULL PUCKY! They knew but were playing dumb which is why they dragged their feet on having it inspected and now are dragging their feet on having it replaced. In fact, They didnt even mention it had a septic other than the original realtor listing. I only know about the 2nd septic by walking the property and finding the exposed lids, this also wasn't disclosed. They knew of the second septic unless they're total morons. Again, what are they hiding? I did have something similar in my second home but the homeowners did replace the septic before we moved in. We would not have moved in if it hadn't been replaced.